Page 85 of The Wedding Favor

I curled up next to the window and closed my eyes. This whole conversation had gone perfect, no awkwardness, no rash displays of emotions, just the “not quite truth” truth. He’d agreed with everything I said, too. This was all for the best. In fact, I was kind of proud of myself for how I handled all this.

Except for one tiny detail that came to me just as I was falling asleep:

Abe always seemed to know when I was lying.

THIRTY-THREE

“I took a job at a diner and started writing. Not many people knew that.

Poetry, mostly. A few were even published.”

—excerpt from the unpublished memoir,

Darling, I Must Say by Gloria Hayes

After a restless night of sleep, during which I did not recount every second of the past weekend, analyze every single moment I’d spent with Abe, or agonize over that long, uncomfortable ride home, I dragged myself out of bed and headed into work. I got to the Sit-n-Eat a half hour before my normal starting time for our staff meeting. It seemed kind of silly seeing as how the entire staff consisted of Ellie, Gil (Ellie’s husband and part owner), Jorge (who did all the cooking), and me.

Ellie’s little boy, Oliver, high-fived me when I passed the booth he was sprawled in. He was about Hallie’s age, and I decided I’d try to get the two of them together. Did nine-year-olds still do playdates? At nine, I’d been letting myself into an empty house after school.

“Oh, good, you’re here. Let’s get this party started,” Ellie said, already vibrating with energy. She was a morning person, which should have been a felony.

I grunted and headed straight for the coffee. After filling up my cup, I carefully debated which muffin I wanted from the tray Ellie had set out. Perks of having to get up earlier involved baked goods. There was that.

After settling on double chocolate chip, I slid into the chair next to Gil, who nodded a greeting. Gil wasn’t much of a talker or a smiler, so a nod was his version of an enthusiastic greeting. Ellie and Gil were another couple that fascinated me. Total opposites, these two, and yet so much in love, it was palpable.

“Yo, Iris,” Jorge said from across the table. He had big dad energy which he’d earned the hard way. He and his wife had six kids.

Ellie clapped to get our attention. “We only have twenty minutes so let’s get to it.”

She spent the next fifteen minutes going over odds and ends, any changes in the menu, or monthly specials coming up the next week.

“And, once again, I would like to remind everyone that yelling at customers is not a great look.” Ellie’s gaze seemed to zone in on me.

I looked up from my muffin. “I haven’t yelled at anyone in weeks.”

“Not you.” Her eyes drifted over to her husband. “Customers are how we make money. We don’t want to scare them away.”

“Even the idiots?” Gil grumbled.

“I’m with Gil on this one,” I said, brushing crumbs off my shirt.

“Even the idiots,” Ellie said firmly. “Unless it’s Peter Stone.”

Every town has to have a villain, and Peter filled that role with excellence. “That’s fair.”

Ellie talked about a few more things—much of which had little bearing on the Sit-n-Eat but followed a train of thought that we didn’t have tickets for. That brain of hers brained really hard, I’ll say that. She started out excited about a new muffin recipe and ended on the pros of miniature horses. Just when I thought it was over and I could slink off and prepare myself for the day, she dropped a bomb.

“Since Iris is leaving at the end of the summer, I’ve started looking for her replacement. I’d like them to start soon so Iris can train them.”

My spine snapped straight. “Wait. What?”

“You’re leaving for school soon. We’ll need to replace you.” She frowned. “Well, not you exactly. You are irreplaceable.”

“It’s gonna be hard to find someone who talks back to the customers so much,” Jorge said with a laugh.

“Exactly.” Ellie nodded. “We’ll miss you. But we need the help. I can’t run this place on my own.”

Gil cleared his throat.